Come Spring
by Altssul
Summary: When you're reborn, you generally expect to...you know...die first. Apparently there are exceptions to this. Said exception tries avoid trouble like the plague, but the trouble just seemed to follow her like a desperate bloodhound. SI/OC
1. ONE

Deep inside, we all want to believe death isn't the end. That's why reincarnation is such a well-known belief. Each culture and religion has their own interpretation of reincarnation. Different circumstances, different requirements. But there's one thing they all have in common.

It's generally believed that to be reincarnated, you had to _die_ first.

I learned this wasn't the case the night before my sixteenth birthday, when my fitful spurts of excitement died down and I finally settled down for a good night's sleep. If I had known what was to happen, I probably would have hugged my ten-year-old baby penguin plush a little tighter in farewell, or maybe I would've jumped out of bed and never sleep again. Maybe I'd crawl into bed with Mom and Dad for the first time since pre-kindergarten. Call up my best friends. Deliver a tearjerking departure speech. _Anything._

I woke up _inside_ someone.

My first instinct was to scream because _what the fresh hell? Where was I? Was this a demented nightmare!?_

Then, realizing I couldn't scream, I thrashed in a panic. Whatever I was in didn't like that. The walls started closing in and I was _pushed. Holy shit._

Then, with a sickening _slick_ of a noise, I was out. I felt air. And damn, it was cold. Realizing I could breathe again, I gasped for air, still squirming in a set of arms. But then that set of arms passed me off to another set of arms that rocked me back and forth. I was a weak-willed baby, so I fell asleep right away. What'd you expect?

I discovered I had somehow become a baby again. But I wasn't _me._ I did have a mother with black-like-coal eyes and brown hair. But this was not she, even if she had the same colouring. _This one_ had reflexes like some sort of speed demon and a scary temper if my dad every handled me ungently – which he rarely did. But still, my mom's name is not Asagiri Rurae. Her husband's name was not Asagiri Takeshi.

We did not live in Konoha in a _fictitious world_ full of _fictitious people._

My name was _not_ Asagiri Futaba.

But it was now.

I wasn't really a loud baby. Mom and Dad were always rotating on missions so I spared them the grief of a fussy baby and stayed put unless it was urgent. That one time when the spider almost crawled onto my leg _definitely_ was an emergency.

At two months, I made my first conscious noise (a high-pitched gurgle of laughter at my dad's clumsiness...he's a ninja but he's clumsy. Come on, you would laugh too).

At one year, I scrambled to my feet for the first time (we celebrated that with Mom's favourite, soba. Well, not for me. I still had that gross baby mush).

At a year and a half, I spoke my first word (zoni. What could I say? Mom let me try it a day before and it was so good. So good. Solid food is a gift to this world that should never be taken for granted).

At around two, I had all my teeth, and the itchy sensation of teeth growing in ceased. I had learned how to speak...enough. Mom even taught me how to write my own name!

フタバ

Imagine how disappointed I was when I remembered everyone used simple katakana for their first names instead of kanji.

Looking back, I guess I did adjust pretty quickly to the jarring realization that I hadn't actually died before being reincarnated and had probably cheated the wheel of life somehow and that this may or may not have serious repercussions on my future. But I'd never been the thinking type – for me, thinking was a black hole. It led to too many questions without answers and too many bad moods. So I didn't think as much. This led to me having to assure many people that yes, I do have something inside my skull, and no, I'm not stupid.

(Just scared of my own mind.)

It helped that Mom and Dad were really nice people. That was a big thing. They rotated who took missions when to make sure I was never alone, they went out of their way to ask for parenting advice from others, and they always seemed to put me first. All this love that I didn't know what to do with.

It was a happy existence for those three years. Warm days, sunny dispositions, and not an impending tragedy in sight.

Well, until Mom and Dad told me something alarming one day.

"Futaba-chan, the Hokage has summoned us both for a very important mission," Mom said with a forced smile on her elegant face. "You remember who the Hokage is, right?"

"He's Konoha's most importan' person, righ'?" I replied back through a mouth full of zoni soup. Good Lord, I was addicted.

Dad smiled down at me. "We're all important, sweetie. He's the one who protects this village from danger. We help him." He crouched so he was eye-level with me, resting a large hand on my head. "Both your mom and I will be gone for a while. Maybe months. So Imiki-oba-san will be taking care of you for a while. Please treat her nicely for us." He ruffled my hair.

I gulped down my mouthful of mochi. "Okay, 'tou-san!"

They laughed and departed once a younger version of Mom showed up at our doorstep.

"Hey there. Futaba-chan, is it?" the Mom-but-not-Mom asked, kneeling down to my little corner of the house that was littered with ink and brushes and even a bo that my dad had been trying to teach me to use a couple days ago. He was lucky I didn't impale myself. Mom gave him quite the lecture after.

I nodded. "Are you Imiki-oba-san?"

I swear a vein popped on her forehead. She took a breath. "Imiki- _nee_ isn't old enough to be called that quite yet." I thought I heard her mutter "damn Takeshi" under her breath.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Wow. Mom's sister was young. "How old's 'kaa-san?"

Imiki gave me a once-over. "She's twenty-three."

Mom was pretty young when she had me, wow. Well, the life of a shinobi was unpredictable. Your life could end at any second, so anyone that lived past fifty here was either legendary or a civilian. Imiki had the look of a shinobi – long dark hair tied back tight, hands calloused and faint scars peeking out from her mid-sleeved shirt. Her and Mom were pretty similar. But Mom wore her hair down...and somehow, it never appeared out of place when she returned home...

Talk about hair goals.

Finding no other way to continue the conversation, I said with a clumsy toddler tongue, "Cool." I then went back to picking at the grip on the bo.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Imiki tugged me to my feet. "Futaba-chan, have you been outside much?" When I shook my head, she grinned at me. I didn't really like the outside. Fear of running into some...important people. I had avoided them so far, but I didn't know how long I could keep it up. Imiki nudged me. "Well, let's go outside then!"

My eyes widened but I had no time to react as I was hoisted onto my aunt's shoulders. "To the park we go!" she cried.

 _Please no,_ I mentally begged. Couldn't I be trouble-free for a few more years before I entered the Academy?

Around ten minutes later, I found myself on a swing gloomily, scuffing the ground with my sandals. Imiki had started chatting up someone she briefly referred to as an old teammate, so I was alone. Luckily for me, no significant toddlers appeared to be in the vicinity.

"Hey, you!" a voice called.

My head snapped up to meet the eyes of a young boy. A young boy with black eyes, black hair, and pale skin. An Uchiha.

O God, what have I done to forsake thee?

My heart resumed beating when I realized it wasn't Sasuke, but another Uchiha. His hair was flatter and less...duck-butt in the back. The look in his eyes was also more snide than a three or four-year-old's should be. Whoever it was, he hadn't appeared in canon.

"Yes?" I replied quietly.

"That's _my_ swing," he snarled. I narrowed my eyes. What a brat. "Get off," he demanded.

I blinked. "Why?" I nodded my head towards the swing next to mine, which was vacant. "That one's empty."

He stomped a foot. "No!" He was about to say more when an older girl, maybe six or seven, stepped up behind him and grinded a fist into the top of his head, messing up his hair.

"I'm so sorry about my brother," she said. "I am Uchiha Kouko. This brat's Uchiha Shuu." She tugged at his collar to punctuate her statement. "What's your name?"

"Asagiri Futaba," I replied evenly.

Before our conversation could take off, Imiki interrupted. "Futaba-chan!" She came over to my swing and immediately scanned Kouko and Shuu. "Oh, you've made friends? What're their names?"

Kouko spoke up. "I am Uchiha Kouko, and this is my younger brother Shuu. It's very nice to meet you, Asagiri-san." She bowed low, dragging her brother down to do the same.

Imiki smiled brightly. "I'm so glad Futaba has finally made friends! Do you two wish to join us for some yakitori for lunch?" I ignored the implications of "finally made friends" and the fact that Kouko and Shuu were barely friends at this point and waited for their response.

Kouko gave an amiable smile. "We'd love to."

And that was how I found myself in a booth across from a disgruntled Uchiha boy with his sister next to him and my aunt next to me.

"So your parents are retired genin?" Imiki asked Kouko.

"Yes," Kouko replied. "It's quite rare, but Shuu and I are eager to become shinobi ourselves. My mother and father did not possess the Sharingan and chose different paths. But my brother and I are suspected to possess the Sharingan." She bit into the yakitori. "I've already started Academy training. I intend to graduate in a couple years."

Imiki nodded with interest. The two seemed to converse in a world of their own, leaving Shuu and I in awkward silence.

After many minutes of awkward silence, Shuu spoke first. "I'm sorry for being mean about the swings 'n stuff." He sounded pained, as if admitting his mistakes twisted his gut.

I widened my eyes in surprise. "It's alright, Shuu-san. I'll let you sit 'n whichever swing you want next time. Or we could take turns." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that I hadn't rejected his apology and embarrassed him, so I took the opportunity to start a conversation."Shuu-san, what weapons do you like?"

Shit, what kind of question was that!? The kid was like _four!_ But he was raised in a clan, so maybe he'd have an answer. I mean, I was only three and I already knew which weapon I would want to use. Ah yes. The bo and naginata. Such beautiful stabby-sticks...

He seemed to debate responding, fixing me with some sort of uncertain stare, but his will crumbled. "I wanna use the katana. It looks cool." His eyes lit up. "An' all the heroes in movies all use katanas 'cause they're super _epic!"_ He seemed to catch himself, turning a little red at his outburst.

I grinned. Maybe there was a little bit of fun under all that snooty Uchiha. "I like the bo and naginata. In the future I'll use it to stab people from far behind." I hummed thoughtfully. "Or maybe I'll use it as a back scratcher." Shuu snorted. I let myself feel victorious at making the small boy laugh.

Imiki chose this moment to join our conversation. "Shuu-kun, Kouko tells me you're quite the shinobi-in-the-making already!"

His chest puffed with pride. "Chichi-ue's been teachin' me!" He shot a look at his sister and she rolled her eyes, waving him on. "Chichi-ue even thinks I could be the Hokage someday."

I started. _Another_ Hokage wannabe? Geez, the people here really idolized the position.

"Is that so?" Imiki hummed. "Well...if you'd like training from a jounin like myself, you can join Futaba-chan and I starting next week in the afternoons."

My head turned at the speed of light. I nearly gave myself whiplash. When did I sign up for training with Imiki!?

Shuu turned red. "I..." He swallowed. "Yeah! I will!" His sister patted him on the head.

The evening went on without incident. Shuu excused himself to use the little men's room and Imiki went to go pay, leaving me with Kouko in the booth.

"I apologize for my brother's actions, really," she said. "He wasn't feeling very well today. One of our cousins, Sasuke-kun, got into a scuffle with him." I raised a brow at the familiar name, trying not to let my panic show on my face. Kouko continued. "Shuu's a really happy kid. He hasn't had much interaction outside of the clan...so I'd appreciate it if you treated him well. Don't let first impressions fool you."

I nodded vigorously. In truth, I was already starting to like Shuu. He was a cute kid and could be fun when he was in a good mood. Already I was seeing how different he was from the Uchiha clan we'd grown to know in canon. The boy was so vehemently enthusiastic about becoming an "awesome" ninja to impress his family. And his love of emotional movies (Kouko had let it slip that during a tragedy romance movie her four-year-old brother had shed more tears than herself)? I could definitely respect that.

When Imiki returned, we said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. I felt particularly satisfied. No encounter with canon characters and two new friends gained? That's a win in my book.

As I settled into bed, I couldn't help but think that a memory from my other life had gone too fuzzy. Something really important...regarding the Uchiha clan?

I shrugged it off, unable to remember it, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hi! This is definitely something you've seen before if you've ever read an SI/OC fic. This story may diverge from canon...I haven't decided yet. Just a warning.**

 **I plan to incorporate elements into this story that you may** _ **not**_ **have seen before...? Or maybe you will have. Either way, I'm not aiming to be exceptionally original. I'm just aiming to provide a well-written, entertaining SI/OC fic.**

 **As this is my first time writing a Naruto fic, if any of my characterizations of canon characters are off, please feel free to tell in a review! Or not. Your choice.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **\- Alts**


	2. TWO

The promised week came. I was standing around in the backyard, scuffing the gravel with my sandals, which was developing into an unhealthy habit that I knew would warrant many scoldings in the future. At the other end of the backyard, Imiki was rifling through her bag for something, decked in standard jounin gear. Shuu had yet to make an appearance, however.

"Imiki-nee?" I piped up. "What will we be doin' today?"

Imiki pulled something from the bag triumphantly. It was a brown heavy-duty hairband that she quickly used to tie her hair tight behind her. She turned to me as she did so. "We'll see when Shuu gets here, Futaba-chan."

I huffed a sigh and plopped down on the ground, which was a big mistake because the gravel we had wasn't the kid-friendly rounded type. I leapt up with a yelp, face turning red at Imiki's chuckle. I scowled as well as a three-year-old could and turned away. I didn't need to go through this humiliation. Discreetly, I held a hand to my injured bottom.

* * *

Eventually, Shuu did show up, breathing hard and holding two bento boxes in his hands. "S-sorry for being late, Imiki-san! Haha-ue really wanted 'ta make food for me and Futaba." I couldn't help the eyebrow twitch at the dropped honorific.

Imiki beamed. "Aww, that's so nice of you, Shuu-chan!" His eyebrow seemed to twitch at _his_ new honorific. "Put them under the tree over there and we'll get started."

After doing so, the two of us stared up at Imiki expectantly. She cleared her throat. "Have you two ever heard of chakra?"

Duh, was my first thought. But wait, no, I was three, so I forced myself to let out an "eh..."

Shuu, on the other hand, wasn't as modest. "It's the stuff you use 'n jutsus!" he exclaimed excitedly. Man, this boy had a lot more energy than he'd had before.

"That's right, Shuu-chan!" Imiki said. "Chakra is a form of our very life energy. That means when we use it, we're using our life energy too, which can be dangerous."

She then kneeled down, and pressed a finger to the left side of Shuu's head. "Right here is a Gate, something that exists to regulate the usage of our chakra. Right here is the first gate." She stood up again. "There are eight gates. Using them all is extremely dangerous and I never want to see you using them for as long as I live, got it?" We nodded in sync. Imiki could have a very commanding tone at times.

After that, she tried to get us to "feel" our chakra. What was chakra supposed to feel like? In this world, I'd been born with a chakra system. Asking me to feel my own chakra was almost like asking me to feel my own blood, right?

A couple hours of intense concentration from Shuu and I later, the sky started to turn pink. We'd had our lunches earlier, and damn, Shuu's mom could cook.

I still wasn't having any luck drawing out my chakra.

"Futaba-chan, you seem to be having trouble," Imiki said, walking over to me. "Here, I'll help."

She stuck her hand in front of me. I watched in awe as it started to glow a sky blue. Seeing it on TV was one thing. Seeing it in real life was another.

"What should it feel like?" I asked.

"It should feel like...well, imagine this. You're lying down and there's a warm water bottle on your belly. You like those, right?"

I nodded, giggling in that toddler way. It was too cold in the mornings here.

"That warmth is your chakra. Learning to feel it is important, got it?" She tickled my belly for a good measure.

I blinked, imagining the analogy. Experimentally, I tugged at the warmth inside me. Maybe the reason I didn't know what chakra felt like was because my stores had been full my entire life. I tugged again, a little more insistently, and nearly jumped as it moved up.

"Thanks, Imiki-nee." Shuu had his head embedded into the gravel with frustration, so Imiki hastily left to help him. Ow.

As I continued trying to tug at the warm "water" in my belly, I heard Shuu wailing. "It's no good! My sister could do this when she was three!"

I doubted she really could, even though Kouko was a pretty monstrous kunoichi-in-the-making. Parents tended to compare you with others to rile you up and get you to work harder, and having met Shuu's parents once a couple days ago, they definitely seemed the type. His mom was pretty nice, though.

Imiki patted his head and proceeded to give him the same analogy she'd given me. I gave one last tug and jumped as the warmth separated itself from my belly marginally. "Imiki-nee!" I called. "Got it!"

She seemed to do a double take. "Whoa! Nice job, Futaba-chan! Let me just finish up with Shuu-chan here and we'll go get some zoni for supper, how about that?"

I nodded and decided to play around with the glow for a bit. I tried to push it farther away from my belly, slowly letting the "water" trickle down my arm. When the drop was in my hand, I started experimenting with it. It glowed from within my hand, however, like a flashlight under a blanket. Fascinated, I urged the glow all over my body – in my cheeks, around my neck, even my nose – and soon I was like a dim human flashlight. I giggled and tried to turn up the intensity, bit by bit. Then, I pushed as much chakra as I could into it.

* * *

A dumb move, in hindsight. That glow was my chakra. What was I thinking, using so much of it at once when I'd only just learned how to direct it?

Five minutes later – or maybe more; I hadn't exactly been keeping track – I woke up in my bed. I groaned.

Imiki came out of nowhere and bonked me on the head with a clenched fist. "What were you _thinking_!?" she demanded, mirroring my thoughts. "I told you usage of chakra could be dangerous!" I shifted my gaze, unwilling to meet my fierce aunt's glare. I noticed Shuu sitting to the side, looking relieved.

"I'm sorry, Imiki-nee," I said meekly. "I jus' thought the glow was interesting."

Her eyes widened. She held her face in her palm. "Ugh, it's too early for this. Seriously, Rurae, three...?" She sighed. "Okay, that aside, you should be well enough to stand, right?"

Choosing to ignore her strange reaction to my glowing interest for now, I dizzily pushed myself to my feet, nearly toppling over in the process. Shuu grabbed my arm to steady me. He still looked worried, and internally I giggled. A stoic, snooty Uchiha indeed.

The three of us headed to the soba stand with a little more solemnity than I'd particularly liked. Was it that bad? It was only minor chakra exhaustion, right?

I ordered my beloved zoni soup eagerly while Shuu got tsukimi soba. Imiki didn't buy anything.

"So, tykes, tomorrow we'll train a bit more with chakra. Maybe I'll have you learn your affinities." She was about to go on about chakra natures and affinities and such when Shuu interrupted her.

"Imiki-sensei, can't we get a break during dinner?" he whined.

"Yeah, Imiki-nee, class over!" I joined in.

She sighed. "Alright, alright. But freedom is temporary," she warned.

We ate at the stand, chatting about this and that as the sky grew redder.

Apparently, Shuu's mother was Mikoto's sister, a fact I stored in department _Things not present in canon_. They'd wanted their youngest children to get along, being in the same general age bracket, but Sasuke had immediately rubbed Shuu the wrong way by pointing out how _great_ his brother was and how not-great Kouko was in comparison. At this, I had raised a brow. Sasuke's idolization of his brother led him to make some dick moves, apparently.

I also learned Kouko muttered in her sleep, Shuu had an old cat named Mugi, and that their mom married their dad out of love, something uncommon in a big-name clan like the Uchiha clan.

I thought everything was going pretty well until a sickeningly familiar voice interrupted our conversation.

"Excuse me, but Shuu-san's mother has requested for me to retrieve her son," Uchiha Itachi's voice stated, cutting our conversation off.

Shitfucks. _Shitfucks._

I turned around reluctantly, as did Imiki and Shuu, and saw two too-familiar boys standing before us. Sasuke – the little shit in all his three-year-old glory – was ducked behind Itachi's legs.

Shuu scowled. "Yeah? How about onee-san? Where's she?"

"Kouko-san is studying at a friend's house," Itachi replied evenly. Shuu gave the two a look of contempt.

"Why is _he_ here?" Shuu jabbed a finger in Sasuke's direction. Said boy glared back.

Imiki cut in. "Now, now, Shuu-chan, don't be rude. Don't keep your mother waiting. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon!" I nodded, agreeing. I just wanted Itachi and Sasuke out of the vicinity as soon as possible.

Shuu seemed torn, but grudgingly slid off the stool and walked over to the brothers.

He kept his distance from them as he waved to us.

Crisis averted?

* * *

As the weeks went on, Shuu continued to visit. Even Kouko would join us after the Academy let out. We did some basic stamina exercises and taijutsu basics for a while, then we tested for chakra affinities, Kouko joining in for fun, already having done this in school. I frowned at the chakra paper. In the anime, this stuff seemed so normal. But to me, it was something mystical. Paper that reacted to energy being channeled into it? Sign me the _fuck_ up!

The same could be said about everything in this world, the more I thought about it.

"Imiki-nee, where d'you get this paper?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, it's fairly cheap to us jounin," she answered proudly. "But I pawned these off of my old Academy teacher. He's got a soft spot for me." She laughed. I wondered who her Academy teacher was.

We learned that Shuu's chakra (predictably) had a fire-type affinity, Kouko had a lightning affinity, and that I had an earth affinity.

I felt a little disappointed, not knowing if there were any badass earth-release jutsus, but I realized Shuu and I could combine our natures to form explosion release. Man, that would be fun.

* * *

Months passed without word from my parents, and I was starting to get worried.

I was soon to be four, and I didn't want to celebrate without them around. I wanted to introduce them to my unlikely friends, too.

After a long day of training, Kouko and Shuu decided to stay with Imiki and I for the night. The four of us were under a ridiculously detailed pillow-blanket fort courtesy of Imiki, who had gone as far as to pin the blanket to the walls using senbon. She'd even set (non-lethal) traps outside the fort so that any intruders would have to evade them before getting to us.

Kouko held the bowl of popcorn to her chest, trying not to show any signs of fear as Imiki continued the story.

"And little Mimi-chan tried to run, but the Gashadokuro was too fast!" Imiki grabbed Shuu and pulled him into a headlock. "Mimi-chan felt herself being grabbed by a bony hand. And the rattling bones were the last thing she ever heard." There was a moment of silence, then Imiki started tickling Shuu mercilessly. This evolved into a large tickle-fest that ended when we heard a pounding on the door.

Imiki untangled herself from small children and exited the fort, evading the traps with ease.

"So, Kouko-chan," I started. "Ar'you afraid of bones?" I smirked when she turned red.

"I-it's not fitting for a shinobi, I know," she stammered. "But they're just so...creepy."

Shuu and I shared a look that meant we were definitely going to bug her about it later on.

Imiki threw open the blankets that served as an entrance to our fort. "Futaba-chan, come with me," she said. The look in her eyes terrified me because she looked terrified. Gulping, I obliged. She hoisted me up, avoiding the traps, and set me down by the door.

An unfamiliar jounin stood outside, covered in scratches, grime, and dirt. "Are you Asagiri Futaba?"

I nodded.

He seemed to be in great discomfort as he cleared his throat, looking unbearably sad. "I'm sorry to inform you that Asagiri Rurae and Asagiri Takeshi were killed in action. I was on the same mission. They went down with honour."

What?

"They wanted me to give something to you," he continued, not giving me time to process the fucking death of my parents. He handed me a yellow folder, and inside was a mangled-looking letter and a piece of ripped paper. I stared back numbly.

Imiki exchanged an unreadable look with the jounin, and he departed after disclosing his condolences.

Imiki started dismantling the pillow fort silently. I made my way through the mess we'd made and sat on my bed. Why wasn't I feeling anything?

"Futaba, what was that all about?" Shuu asked, plopping down next to me. Kouko sat on my other side.

I chose not to answer him, instead peering inside the folder. I took out the slip of ripped paper first.

 _Home is where you're wanted._

What kind of dying message was that? Were my parents assholes?

How could the two people that brought me here, the two people that convinced me I didn't have to worry where I'd come from or what my future was going to be, just leave?

And leave this lame-ass message for me?

Without warning, I burst into ugly sobs.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hello! Wow, I got reviews? And follows? Damn, you guys are nice!**

 **I know as well as anyone review responses can make chapters look deceptively longer than they are and how disappointing that is...so I will answer in a vague way that encompasses all questions asked. I've cut down on the parenthesis because it isn't really necessary at this point. Rest assured, the multitude of parenthesis was a chapter one-only thing. Well. As far as I know. Futaba does want to become a shinobi because when you're born into a ninja universe, how could you not want to? She's just scared of messing things up beyond repair and at this point, she doesn't have a game plan for the plot.**

 **Her mysterious rebirth will be mentioned more later.**

 **Thanks for reading! If there are any more concerns, feel free to drop a review! Or not. Whatever floats your boat.**

 **Alts**


	3. THREE

The funeral was a quiet affair, the only ones other than Imiki and I there being Mom and Dad's old teammates. I recognized no one but the jounin that delivered the news that night.

Imiki held my hand tightly as we stood in front of the framed pictures of my parents. Their hitae-ate were displayed in front of their respective pictures. I forced back my tears by biting my tongue. When was the last time I'd seen them smile like that in person?

I really should've expected this. There were so many orphans in this world. But in the summation of my two lives, I had never had anyone dear to me disappear before. I was reborn when I was fifteen, almost sixteen, so I had still been a child when...all this happened. I still had the naïve belief death didn't happen to those who didn't deserve it, that it only happened to people on TV.

I prayed they were reborn somewhere better as I stood with Imiki.

The sun shone down still, ignorant to the tragedies that took place below it, and a part of me wanted to do the same.

But I couldn't. I had knowledge. I couldn't just sit with it and do nothing. I didn't have a game plan at this point, but I couldn't lose anyone like this ever again.

After everyone had paid their respects and were chatting glumly with each other, I crept up to the memorial once more, by myself. I took a deep breath.

"Okaa-san," I breathed, looking at her picture. I took a shaky breath and continued. "You were such a great mother. I wish I had the strength you had to smile even when you were really mad at Otou-san. I won't forget you."

Then I turned to my father's picture. "Otou-san, I want your bravery and your smarts. No one is brave enough to face Okaa-san when she's mad but you, and no one I know is smart enough to calm her down but you. Thank you, and I won't forget you either." After my little eulogies were said and done, I stepped back.

When no one was looking, I took my mom's hitae-ate, which was bolted to faintly stained white fabric.

* * *

 _The door creaked open. "Hey, sweetie," my dad said, entering the room quietly. He sat in the chair near my bedside. "How are you doing?" Reaching out a hand, he smoothed out my hair._

 _I couldn't reply. I couldn't even move. But I could still see him, even though I could feel my eyes were closed._

 _When my reply didn't come, he sighed. He sounded incredibly tired, and I noticed the bags under his eyes and his unshaven face. "Not going to wake up today, either?" He set down some flowers on the table near my bed. "It's alright. Take your time."_

 _"Is she awake?" Another figure stood in the doorway. My mom. She looked dishevelled and just as tired as my dad. She sat next to my dad. "Oh...we'll wait for you. For as long as it takes for you to wake up." She stroked my forehead with her thumb._

 _But then her eyes grew misty. "Please come back to us."_

 _I wanted to shout I'm here! I'm here! Please don't cry! But I couldn't. Nothing was moving._

 _Why couldn't I move?_

* * *

I woke up in a cold sweat. What was that? A dream? But...those were my parents. My first parents.

Was I still alive in the other world? If so, was I existing in two places at once?

Oh boy, that definitely didn't mean anything good. It was never possible to exist in two different worlds at once.

"Futaba-chan!" Imiki called. "Shuu-chan's here to visit!"

I shut down my trait of thought. "Alright!" I got out of bed, hastily remaking it. I opened a drawer in my dresser, expecting to see my usual loose-fitting clothes but instead seeing my mother's hitae-ate folded neatly on top of all the clothing. The fabric was white as snow now - the night before, I had scrubbed at it with my toothbrush until it was pristine and spotless. Like it used to be.

I pushed it to the back of the drawer, hearing it _klunk_ in the space behind the drawers. That's hidden enough, I guess.

I was in the middle of changing when Shuu walked in. "Hey Futa - BAH!"

I turned around. I was in the process of putting my poofy cuffed pants on. "Oh, hey Shuu."

He was absolutely red. And mortified. "Y-y-you..."

I frowned. "Calm down. I'm wearing underpants. And we're like, four."

"I'm f-five," he corrected, still red in the face.

"Eh," I said neutrally. Once my pants were on, I asked, "So what's up?"

He shook off his discomfort. "I wanted to make sure...you were alright. Onee-san too." His expression softened. He stepped to the side, revealing a heavy-looking basket filled to the brim with desserts and stuffed animals. "Haha-ue made you a recovery basket. She does this for a lot of people."

That meant were a lot of orphans out there, a grim thought if a true five-year-old like Shuu got it.

"Tell Michiko-san I said thank you," I said. "Come on, let's go to the park."

* * *

It hadn't occurred me that we'd been living off of the funds provided in compensation for Mom and Dad's deaths until Imiki brought it up to me one day in early winter.

"Futaba-chan, our funds are running low," Imiki said, beating cookie dough. "That means I'll have to go back to taking missions soon."

My heart sank. I didn't want to spend my days alone.

"But I've talked with Michiko-san and she's OK'd you staying at the compound with Kouko and Shuu until I get back from my missions," Imiki continued.

"How long will the missions last?"

"The well-paying ones can last a week," Imiki said sadly. I pouted despite myself. No Imiki cooking for a week? "I've just taken a B-rank mission. I leave tomorrow but I'll probably be back on Thursday."

I sighed. So no Imiki cooking for two days. Well, it wasn't the end of the world. Michiko's cooking was a close second to Imiki's. "Should I pack?"

"Unless you want to wear Uchiha-crested clothes for two days, probably," Imiki said dryly. I was finally getting old enough to be deemed worthy of her sarcasm. I rolled my eyes, leaving to pack.

* * *

"Futaba-chan, Imiki-san, good evening!" Uchiha Michiko greeted us after answering the door. She noticed my awe-struck expression and quickly added, "Please don't be overwhelmed. This compound is a lot smaller than it was when I was your age." She turned from the door. "Shuu! Futaba-chan is here!"

This place was huge. Decorative ponds here, zen-themed gardens there, God, they even had their own shops. The Uchiha District was bigger than I'd ever thought it would be. And on our way here, we'd gotten these looks. Like under all the false pleasantries, they were wary of us. Outsiders.

Shuu arrived at the door, pulling me in. "Good luck, Imiki-sensei!" he exclaimed at the same time I called, "See you soon, Imiki-nee!"

Shuu was very eager to show me something. We were in his room, which was surprisingly neat for a five-year-old boy's. Probably the work of Kouko, because even _my_ room wasn't this neat.

He pulled something out of his dresser. It was...a long wooden stick that curved subtly. "I got a bokken!" he elaborated gleefully.

"Oh, is that what that is?" I muttered to myself. "So they've finally started teaching you kenjutsu?"

"Yeah!" He grinned. "I'm gonna be so awesome, just you wait!"

"We'll see if you can beat me and my bo," I taunted challengingly. He knocked me on the head in retaliation.

* * *

Later that night, after some fooling around with his new bokken, I was bored and needed something, anything to do.

We were sitting in one of those wide hallways with sliding paper doors and shiny, polished wooden floors. You could probably fit a couch across the width of this hallway. This entire house was so...grand, but in a traditional way.

"Shuu..." I groaned.

"What?"

"Shuu..."

"I said what?"

"Shuuuuuuu..." I drew out his name.

"Gah! What do you want?" he snapped.

"Do you have any cards? Playing cards?" I asked. I was splayed out on the floor staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't very interesting. The wood patterns grew old after the first fifteen minutes.

Shuu frowned. "Yeah, I think so. I'll go get them."

Once he had gotten them, I leapt to my feet. "Good!" I said, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

Shuu didn't even flinch. Damn, the boy's been desensitized already?

"Have you heard of a game called Speed?" I asked. He shook his head. I plopped down onto the polished wood, Shuu doing the same. "Okay, it's a really fast reflex-based game that relies on your adding skills and how fast you can slam a card down. The goal is to get all the cards in your hand in the pile." I started shuffling the deck, my pudgy fingers unused to the action. "There are lots of different ways to play speed. This is the one I learned though, because the other ways are too hard and not as fun. So this is Asagiri Speed." I started dealing cards to both myself and Shuu. As I dealt, I continued my explanation. "So we start with a card in the middle, let's say it's an 8 card. Whoever has a 9 card has to put it down, but also say what 8 plus 9 is. Then whoever has a 10 card has to put it down and add ten to the total. We go up to 31 and start over. Whoever - "

"What are you guys doing?" a boy's voice asked, sounding a bit confused and maybe a bit wary too.

I looked up. Crap. Sasuke!? Again!?

Well, I was kind of in the Uchiha Compound. But that was besides the point. "Playing Asagiri Speed."

He focused his gaze on me as I continued to deal the cards. I met his gaze without flinching. Go, me! "I know you. You're the girl that's with Shuu a lot."

"Yeah," I confirmed blandly.

"What's your name?"

"Asagiri Futaba. Now are you going to play or not?" The version of Speed I'd learned from my grandma and cousin in my other life was more fun with three people. Even if it was Sasuke, there was no one else I could think of asking. Kouko was at a sleepover at an Academy friend's house again, and Itachi was just...no.

Shuu shot me a look. I shot him a look back.

Sasuke frowned again, seeming reluctant but not downright against it. Come to think of it, did Sasuke have many friends at this age? If he was anything like Shuu, it meant children of the Uchiha clan were fairly sheltered from others. I may have avoided this guy with a passion before, but I couldn't keep my will steeled for much longer now I'd made this stunning revelation.

"Fine," he replied at last, sitting down slowly so that we formed a triangle of small children. I ran over the explanation once more, re-dealing the deck so the cards were split evenly between us.

I flipped a card from the pile in the centre over. "Three!"

Shuu was quick to react. "Seven!" he cried slamming down a four.

Ack. "Eleven!" I slammed down a four too. I'd made the game a little easier for kids by allowing repeat cards. It also made addition more interesting.

Sasuke was the next to call out a number. "Sixteen!" He didn't pause there, though. He then slammed down another card. "Twenty-two!"

"Twenty-nine!"

Shit. I did some quick math, adding eight to twenty-nine and subtracting thirty-one from it. "Six!" I said, finally.

"Seventeen!"

"Twenty-five!"

"Twenty-six?"

"Dummy, that's not right! Someone call a penalty!"

The game went on, but I was always last. What did I expect, playing against two Uchiha geniuses? At least Shuu and Sasuke seemed to enjoy themselves, considering how they immediately started another game as soon as it became clear I wasn't able to put my cards in the pile.

It went on for an hour or so before Michiko found us. "Oh my, you three. I'm glad to see you all getting along now, but it's time for bed." The three of us groaned in unison. "Futaba, do you want to sleep in Shuu's room or Kouko's?"

"Shuu," I said. I didn't want to be alone. I could have another...dream. Experience. Whatever that was. And no way was I spending the night in the Uchiha compound alone.

When I did settle into my sleeping bag, I reviewed my experience. Sasuke joining us had been unexpected, but judging from how much he seemed to enjoy himself and his off-handed whine about Itachi being on a mission, it wasn't unlikely he would do the same again tomorrow.

With that in mind, I tried to recall some more games from my other life we could play.

* * *

I slept a dreamless sleep that night, to my relief. Throughout the day, I played different games with Shuu. Just as I'd guessed, Sasuke joined us in the afternoon in a version of Twister we'd been playing outside with a makeshift spinner and some quick chalkwork on the paving.

Twister ended in a dogpile, with a complaining Shuu at the bottom growling at Sasuke, who was in the middle, about his weight and Sasuke pinning it on me, who was blissfully weightless at the top. In retaliation, I dug my chin into the back of his head a little harder.

We'd also played hide-and-seek and Go Fish and had simply lazed about or splashed around in the ponds around the compound before we were called in for dinner, then bed.

Before we went our separate ways, Sasuke turned to us. "I don't like you," he started, looking at Shuu, "but you two play fun games."

I blinked. "Okay. You can play with us whenever." I raised a hand, stopping whatever Shuu was going to say before he could do more than squeak. "Games are always more fun with three people." I gave Shuu a pointed look, to which he sighed and muttered something to himself.

"Yeah, what she said," he said finally.

Sasuke looked a little miffed at the dismissive tone Shuu held, but the brightness in his eyes was unmistakable. My heart warmed a little. Kids could be pretty cute sometimes.

The next morning, Imiki returned unscathed to pick me up. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble," she said to Michiko.

"No, no! She was a little angel." Michiko beamed at me. I decided I liked her very much in that moment. "She even got my little Shuu and Sasuke-kun to get along for a day and a half."

Well, I wouldn't say they got along, but their relationship had evolved to something almost like a healthy rivalry. Almost. There was still a bit of spite and contempt in there.

When we departed, I noticed with surprise Sasuke was among the ones to wave us off. He didn't wave but he was there. Had making a sort-of friend had that much impact on him?

Shuu suddenly drew out his bokken and waved it around, demanding for me to bring my bo next time. I grinned. Having a rival would be fun.

That night, I dreamed.

I dreamed only of a voice, booming, commanding, and raspy.

It said only four words to me.

 _ **"You've upset the balance."**_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hey! I'm back. And so is Sasuke!**

 **Orphans are a very common thing in the shinobi world. You have to be prepared to die at all times, and Futaba hadn't come into the world ready for it. The death of her parents was an unfortunately necessary event.**

 **Oh, and I know there are many variations of Speed. There's no correct way to play it, but personally I really enjoyed the way I learned it from my family. It's hard to explain, so that segment might seem confusing, but explaining card games while keeping in mind you're only four at the moment and have to appear so is a PAIN IN THE ASS.**

 **Also, I told you her past would come back!**

 **This story's actually getting follows. Alts is both happy and bewildered by the attention. Again, thanks so much for reading!**

 **If you think any improvements could be made, feel free to let me know!**

 **Alts**


	4. FOUR

I fell into a sort of routine after a few months. Whenever Imiki was sent out on a mission that lasted longer than a day, I was sent to the Uchiha compound, where I would proceed to fool around with my glorified baton and clash against Shuu and his kid-safe wooden sword until that got boring. Then we'd play games from my other life revised to fit this world's technological limitations. We'd be pretty much avoided by Sasuke whenever Itachi was home. He never spared us more than a fleeting glance whenever we saw him with Itachi in the hallways.

Months passed and Shuu turned six in late December. He started attending the Academy in March, constantly bragging about how much better he was than the rest of the class. Apparently my friend was following the Uchiha genius trope. It was pretty hard to believe the excitable goof was an Uchiha, sometimes.

On my fifth birthday – mid-March – I was alone. Imiki was on a day-long mission, so I wasn't sent off to the compound, but I had hours to kill before I could go bug Shuu or Kouko.

Man, I needed more friends.

I strolled through the streets of Konoha at a leisurely pace. Early spring brought more bearable, moderate weather, so I wore no jacket over my baggy shirt and cuffed pants.

Well, today was as good a day to visit the Memorial Stone as any.

But first...I needed flowers. Isn't that what people did? Set a bouquet down at the Memorial Stone?

I dug in my pocket. To my luck, I had a little more than enough ryo to cover the cost of a small bouquet of flowers unless Yamanaka flowers were ridiculously expensive. The whole avoiding-canon-characters thing? To hell with that. I'd decided interacting with them more might help me form a game plan after the Sasuke encounter.

I wish I could say I had a plan at this point, but I didn't. What I could recall from my prior knowledge of this series was getting fuzzier and fuzzier. There was this tingling sensation whenever I thought about the Uchiha clan, though, and this unease that filled me whenever I bumped into Itachi while at the compound. Something big was going to happen. But what?

Whatever it was, it was worrying. As I walked to the flower shop, I tried to recall anything I could about it.

Sasuke. He was a big grump in the series, right? Something about avenging his clan. Killing Itachi. Ugh, what was it?

Before I could come to a conclusion, I was in the shop. Little Yamanaka Ino manned the cashier, her dad fixing some flowers displayed off to the side. I held my breath.

"U-um, hello?" I asked. Ino and Inoichi immediately snapped to attention.

"Hi! Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers! How may I help you?" Ino greeted brightly.

I gulped. Why was I so nervous about talking to a five-year-old kid? "Uh...I was wondering how much uh...two poppies cost?" That could've gone better. Two poppies? I had planned on getting a bouquet when my stupid mouth decided I was incapable of asking for more!

"Two poppies?" Ino asked curiously. She hummed. "I think that's 20 ryo. Tou-san, can you get two poppies?"

I got my ryo ready timidly, approaching the tall desk. I could barely reach over the top. Ino seemed to notice my discomfort and went around to my side to collect my ryo. "Thanks," I said, reddening.

She smiled. "No problem." Ino was a nice girl. Perhaps she would be a future friend candidate.

As I exited the shop with two nicely-wrapped poppies in hand, I evaluated my encounter with my third canon character. It was an overall success. I hadn't made any lasting impressions (I think) which was alright until I had a plan. Ino was too young to know Sasuke at this point, so without her blinding affections in the way, she was just a friendly little five-year-old.

I found the Memorial Stone within minutes, having visited it with Imiki many times before.

Imiki was an energetic woman, full of life and intention. She didn't seem like someone who would ever cry, but on quiet nights right after Mom and Dad died, I could hear her soft sobbing. It was disconcerting that someone as strong as my aunt cried, but I guess she and Mom were really close.

I set the poppies down by the stone, looking at my parents' names. They were engraved right beside each other, glinting with a grim freshness. Something about this stone made me feel awful about myself. It made me think, and thinking was never a good thing.

Had I stolen a little girl's body?

I didn't even die, and I stole someone's chance to live.

What if Futaba was one of these names? Had I taken away their chance of reincarnation?

Why wasn't I doing anything? I had this opportunity to change stuff, and yet I used the lame excuse of "not having a plan yet". No. I was too scared something would go wrong. Something that would kill more undeserving people.

Once I finished my little pity party, I headed to the Uchiha compound, hoping Shuu was home. He wasn't, but Michiko ushered me in anyway, immediately dumping her fresh baking into my eager hands. I ended up staying there for a while, letting Michiko's warm cookies eat away at my sorrow. Later that day, Shuu was unable to badger the reason for my moping out of me, so he instead went on about how he was starting to learn seals and how he would soon be able to do jutsus.

I sat like I was listening. I really wasn't.

* * *

Kouko graduated that year, donning a spiffy new Konoha hitae-ate at age ten. She wore it across her forehead, her side-swept bangs nearly covering her village symbol entirely. She'd also awakened her Sharingan the same day, to my - and Shuu's - delight.

"Show us!" Shuu and I chorused eagerly, backing her up into a fence.

She gave an exasperated sigh, but smiled and activated it for us to see. Everything was so much cooler in real life - how her eye just shifted to red, and the spinning tomoe inside it - too cool. There was one tomoe in each eye.

"Awesome," I breathed.

Shuu grinned. "My sister is so cool!" I saw the way Kouko's eyes glimmered at the praise.

We stuck to her like flies after that. Kouko was now the Cool Sister, and she basked in the attention until she left for "team bonding". Shortly after, Shuu left too, explaining he had kenjutsu training. So once again, I was alone.

Lately Imiki had been teaching me what she could in bojutsu. I could now twirl the bo smoothly, which I often demonstrated with pride to Shuu and Kouko. She had also - unfortunately - started her Imiki-brand endurance training. Which was torture. It involved a half hour of push-ups, a half hour of sit-ups, and two hours of jogging around Konoha. Imiki had displayed her sadistic side to me, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

I sighed on a particularly tiring round of laps, praying this would pay off in the long run. Literally.

* * *

I entered the Academy the following year, during March, when I'd just turned six. I crossed my fingers for a class that had zero screen time in the series.

On the day of my entrance ceremony, seven-year-old Shuu rested a hand on my head. "Why so nervous?" he asked teasingly. "Relax, first year is super easy."

I gave him a shaky smile and a weak thumbs-up before separating to look at the bulletin board with posted class listings. Also at the board was Sasuke, who I acknowledged with a small wave. He didn't wave back, but made eye contact with me before quickly looking away. Shrugging, I looked back at the listings.

And there was my name. Right under a horrifyingly familiar Akimichi Chouji, Asagiri Futaba was written with neat and precise strokes. My eyes darted down the list frantically. Haruno Sakura. Hyuuga Hinata. Inuzuka Kiba. Nara Shikamaru. Uchiha Sasuke.

Uzumaki Naruto.

I buried my face in my hands, giving a tired sigh. Why did this keep happening to me?

* * *

 **A/N  
**

 **Short chapter, I know. But it's my last update before I head off to a week-long camp with no wifi or service. When I get back, I'll have a lot more chapters ready! Promise!**

 **IM STILL FLOORED BY THE POSITIVE RESPONSE, GUYS. Thanks for your reviews, faves, and follows!**

 **Alts**


	5. FIVE

The night after my entrance ceremony I dreamed of a wheel. It towered like a building and resembled a game show wheel, but with thousands and thousands of panels. The wheel was stopped but twitched in one direction, as though being held back by something. The creaking grew louder and louder until it was nearly deafening. I had to fight the urge to screech in pain.

I woke up with, not sure whether to be terrified or confused. I settled for a mix of both as Imiki called me for breakfast.

Imiki noticed my grim expression. "Nervous?" she asked. "Don't worry. I know you'll do fine."

I bit into my toast, staying silent.

* * *

I walked to the Academy alongside Shuu that morning, who discussed how much his kenjutsu master thought he improved. I acted as though it interested me, nodding my head at this and that. He just needed someone to talk to.

About halfway there, I said, "Sasuke-san is in my class."

Shuu made a face. "Oh, I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm glad I know someone in my class. Now I just need more friends."

"As much as I love you, I won't drop a year for you," Shuu replied dryly.

"Oh no," I said in monotone.

"Don't sound too devastated, geez." He patted me on the back before running ahead. "I see my friends up ahead. See you later!"

Were we already there? Time sure flies when you're dreading something.

I pushed the doors open, cringing as they squeaked. It was pretty early, even for early standards. As such, there were only three people in the classroom other than me - an uncomfortable-looking Sasuke, an eager Sakura, and an unreadable Shino. Even the teacher hadn't arrived yet.

Gulping, I took a seat next to the window at the very front, praying no one sat next to me. I don't think I'd be able to handle interaction with a kid stranger this early in the morning.

As kids started trickling in, I stared at the surface of the desk, thinking. I thought about my dreams, my memories, and my future. It was too confusing. Had my existence changed anything? If so, it wasn't noticeable.

Then there was the more pressing matter. In the series, Sasuke had been alone. Had the clan abandoned them?

Were they killed? If so, how? By who?

And what were these strange dreams all about? First, a booming voice. Then, a wheel.

I frowned, narrowing my eyes in thought. Maybe it would come to me later.

An unfamiliar man strolled into the classroom, taking a seat at the desk at the very front. I jumped. Apparently everyone had arrived during my reverie, and no one wanted to sit next to the thinking, unblinking girl. Whew.

I looked around, blinking madly in an attempt to dispel the tears that formed as a result of not blinking for many minutes. Wait, where was Naruto? I frowned briefly as Misaki-sensei began his outline of what we'd be doing this year.

"Sorry I'm late!" a voice cried. My heart dropped. Naruto in the flesh, highlighter-yellow hair and everything. Man, he has got the bluest eyes. His face was still round with baby fat, skin unmarred by the scars that were sure to come as he progressed as a shinobi. He was undeniably adorable, and my heart _nearly_ went out to the boy before I caught it. Do not get involved with the protagonist until you have a _clear plan._ The others? You can improvise. But not _freaking Naruto._

The teacher had been talking at the time, so he shot Naruto a glare intensified by his what could be prior resentment held towards the boy. I raised a brow. What were these adults doing blaming the attack on a little boy? That was so petty. I was six and I was more mature.

"Take a seat," the teacher said with a subtle edge.

Don't you mean take _the_ seat? There was only one, and it was next to me.

He gave me an unsure look, but sat down anyway.

I did my best to ignore him and focus on the lesson, but it was hard with his constant confused humming. Eventually, I could only tune everything out to find solace, which I used to think more about what I had been before. Right, so Sasuke was alone in the future. This was because:

a. Everyone was dead.

b. Everyone had abandoned him.

I highly doubted Sasuke could do anything in the next few years that would warrant a deserting, and theory b didn't explain Sasuke's future animosity towards Itachi.

Itachi.

Traitor. Why?

Killer? Criminal?

Uchiha clan...

It hit me like a freight train. The Uchiha _fucking_ massacre! I slammed my palms to the desk in shock as memories came back to me in a heavy flow. The coup. Danzo. Itachi. Sasuke avenging his plan. I let out a strangled groan. I was so _stupid_! How could I have forgotten such a key event in the story until now!? I've been alive for six years!

"Is something wrong, Asagiri?" the teacher's voice droned.

I then realized I was still in class. And the centre of attention, too. Everyone around me was sending me disturbed, confused, or curious looks, subtly shuffling away. Even Naruto seemed off-put by my outburst.

My cheeks warmed, and my body felt like it was on fire with embarrassment. "N-no, Misaki-sensei," I said lamely. I withdrew, bringing my arms back into my body as every inch of my skin burned.

Wait, literally.

I looked down at my arms, and to my horror, they weren't just glowing with embarrassment. They were glowing with chakra. Shit. I needed to find Imiki.

I stood up. "Misaki-sensei! Please excuse me for a bathroom break!"

Apparently convinced by my scene earlier, Misaki nodded without much consideration, and I bolted from the classroom.

All the way down the hallways, I tried desperately to calm the glow before too much of my chakra was consumed or someone noticed. Judging by how some teachers stuck their heads from the door, it seemed I had made a bit of a scene already.

Why was this happening!? I hadn't glowed since I was three, and that hadn't ended well at all!

Imiki's grueling speed training exercises paid off in those minutes I spent sprinting home, past astonished adults and confused kids that would probably later make remarks about the girl that glowed.

When I got home I banged on the door with both burning arms, yelping at the pain that suddenly erupted from my arms. "Imiki-nee! Imiki-neeee!" I cried desperately. When she opened the door, I leaped into her arms.

"Futaba-chan!? What's this all about?" she demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

"Look!" I said in reply, shoving my glowing arms into her face. "Make it go away!"

Her eyes widened in surprise. She sighed. "Get in here."

She sat me down and wrung a wet cloth, placing it on my arms. Immediately, the burning sensation turned into a faint tingle. My blood ran cold in shock when I saw the angry red burns on my arms.

"You inherited a trait I'd rather not have you have," she said, sounding tired. "It's nothing serious, really. It's from your mom's side. She had the same problem."

"Why?" I asked.

"That requires a bit of clan history," Imiki said. "Since you're supposed to be at the Academy, I'll make this short. The Yuubae clan used to live in Amegakure, but it's not a clan anymore as everyone married off to others and moved away. Your mom and I are children of that former clan." I had clan in my blood? "People of the Yuubae clan have a condition - chakra will spread out across the body, right below the skin usually, when provoked by extreme emotion. There's no practical use for it, and all it does is burn chakra - extremely quickly. There were even some that reported being burned by their own chakra during moments of extreme emotion, as you so exhibited just now. Therefore, it was never classified as a kekkei genkai, but rather, a weakness." She paused for effect. "You appear to suffer from that same affliction, since it happened to you when you were three, too. Just learn to control your emotions and don't encourage it, and it should be fine. But cold towels help, too."

Imiki started to wrap my burned arms in bandages. I grimaced as the painful tingling slowly ebbed away, replaced by an angry itch. "So there's no way to get rid of it?"

Imiki shook her head. "No, it's like an allergy. It doesn't go away, but it can be avoided." I nodded in understanding. Suddenly, Imiki pulled me to my feet. "Now you, young lady, are supposed to be at school." She crouched in front of me. "Hop on, I'll run you to school. Otherwise you'll take too long for this to be a bathroom break."

I obliged, climbing on. I stared at my arms the entire way back, covered in bandages from elbow to wrist.

When we got back, Imiki bade me well and rushed off. I hurriedly sped down the hallway and slipped into the classroom, avoiding my classmates' prodding stares. I sat in my seat by the window and refused to meet anyone's eyes for the rest of class.

I could practically feel them whispering about the fresh bandages on my arms. Naruto remained quiet for the rest of the lesson, ceasing his hums. I think I might have scared him. I was pretty sure he saw my glowing.

When class let out for lunch, I stayed in my desk, unwilling to move.

My chakra was allergic to my own emotions.

It was almost laughable until you considered the fact that every time you got angry, you had a risk of fainting from chakra exhaustion, or every time you mourned a death, you could meet that same fate yourself if you didn't calm down fast enough.

I thanked everything holy shinobi training included tuning out the emotions, but this was still quite a handicap for someone who hadn't been afraid to show when I was mad or anguished in my other life. Maybe it was the six-year-old in me that was turning this into a bigger issue than it might've been. Maybe it was the burns. Damn, they stung.

* * *

Eventually, Shuu found me. I had been staring at a pencil mark on my desk, contemplating how this emotion allergy would affect me. It had sounded like my chakra wouldn't hesitate to harm my own body if I was riled up enough.

Out of nowhere, I felt someone knock on the top of my head. I looked up.

"What happened to you?" Shuu asked, eyeing my bandages with a sliver of worry.

I sighed, resting my head on the table. "My chakra is allergic to emotion."

"What?"

I turned my head so I met his gaze. "When I get mad, sad, embarrassed, or even happy, I glow and my chakra burns me."

Shuu blinked. "That sucks." He sat in the empty seat next to me. "Will you still be able to become a kunoichi?"

I shrugged weakly. "Maybe if I become an emotionally detached stick-in-the-mud." There was a solemn silence for a few seconds after that. "Don't you have friends in your own class?" I jibed eventually.

Shuu hummed. "Yeah, but they're stupid." He placed something on the desk in front of me. It klunked. "Haha-ue made lunch for you. For good luck."

I let a smile creep across my face. Slowly, I raised my head, grasping my bamboo chopsticks clumsily. "Thanks, Shuu."

There was no question about it now. After collecting my thoughts, I firmly believed I had to save Kouko and Shuu from the massacre. It was too late to stop the coup - I hadn't realized soon enough - but I could at least make sure they weren't there for the massacre. If I could, maybe I could save Sasuke from the trauma, too. But I was the type that looked out for their own first and foremost. I may have been selfish, I may have been narrow-minded, but that didn't matter anymore.

I didn't know how to save people. I didn't even know how to save myself most of the time. The most I could do was try to save the first friends I'd had, right?

I passed through the rest of the day with relative ease - the taijutsu session was pain because my endurance never really developed well (I barely survived Imiki's training regime) and my speciality was short bursts of speed, but it was only the first class so the teacher was lenient.

After school let out, I was hasty to get out of that classroom. I didn't spare the stupid room a second glance, picking at my bandages. The burns were starting to itch unpleasantly. I wanted to get home where the burn cream was.

As I passed the front of the Academy, I spotted Shuu and a very familiar blonde. Oh boy...

Shuu had shoved Naruto against the fence. I couldn't hear what he said, but his expression suggested he was being serious. His gaggle of seven-year-olds stood off to the side with expressions mixed with irritation, smugness, and fear.

I couldn't help the surge of anger that came when I saw my friend's behaviour. I thought Shuu was better than this. Somehow, _I_ felt responsible. So I stormed over and pulled Shuu away by the shoulder, fixing him with my harshest glare.

"What gives!?" he growled.

"Quit it, Shuu. You're being _really_ stupid," I gritted out. He looked ready to retort a response, but a flash of fear and embarrassment entered his eyes when he saw the intense, uncharacteristic anger in my scowl. I'd never gotten genuinely angry at him in my life.

I let my anger seep away as I looked down at Naruto, who was on the ground against the fence. He looked torn; a mix of anticipation, confusion, and hope was concentrated into one open-mouthed stare.

I took a deep breath through my nose. What I was about to do I considered at the time to be a very nice move, but another synonym for nice was stupid. "I'm hungry," I started slowly. I crouched down before continuing,"Uzumaki-san, right? Do you want to join us for a snack?"

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times. "W-what?" His speech was still slurred and clumsy at this point. Having no one to raise you had disadvantages such as learning curves. Most kids had their parents' speech to copy. Naruto didn't even have that.

"I said I'm hungry, and I'd like to get something to eat. As an apology for Shuu- _chan's_ behaviour," I drew out the honorific, glaring at Shuu, "I'm inviting you to come along with us. I'll even pay. My aunt just gave me my allowance." I chose to put my itching burns aside for now. There were more important things to do now, such as consoling a lonely five-year-old.

He seemed extremely confused at this point. After a moment of thought, a grin split across his face. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Naruto finally allowed himself to look happy. He stood up, patting myself off. He avoided looking at Shuu as he let out a cheerful, "Sure!"

I smiled. "Alright. Any place you have in mind?"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Actually..."

* * *

Ichiraku's was pretty damn good. No zoni, but their ramen was pretty impressive.

I sat between Shuu and Naruto. Naruto still seemed scared of Shuu - for good reason - but seemed pretty eager to talk to me. I couldn't resist the charms of the five-year-old, so I indulged him and told him a bit about myself and Shuu.

I'm Asagiri Futaba, I'm six, I like zoni, I dislike natto, and I want to get a summon in the future. There wasn't much to say.

That's Uchiha Shuu. He's seven, he likes swords, he dislikes Sasuke, and his dream is to be super epic (he glared at me for this). A basic but accurate summary of my friend.

Naruto talked about everything - his plants, his apartment, the Hokage, and how people treated him - he was so open with everything. I think he was just eager to talk to someone. He even started sparing Shuu glances from time to time.

It was a little heartwarming, really, until I almost emptied my entire change purse to pay for the meals. Well, Imiki wouldn't be happy. She'd just started to trust a six-year-old with an allowance, too. I winced.

When we finished the meal and stood to say our goodbyes. Naruto left, dashing off in the direction of the Hokage's office. Though he hadn't told us about his relationship with Sarutobi, the way he spoke about the man made it apparent he held a great deal of fondness for him, even at five years old.

Naruto had an infectious smile, evidenced by the fact I was still smiling faintly after he left. Then I turned to Shuu.

"What's wrong with you?" I demanded. "You don't usually act like that. What did Uzumaki-san do to you?"

Shuu scowled. "Haha-ue said he was dangerous. That he killed Hiro-ojii-san."

"Your uncle?" I asked incredulously. "How old were you when he died?"

"One," Shuu said defensively.

"How did a newborn kill your uncle?" I said even more incredulously. "If a newborn killed your uncle, it was definitely your uncle's fault. That or Michiko-san is lying." I wasn't sure why I was so defensive of Naruto. Maybe it was the combination of seeing his mistreatment in my other life and thinking he didn't deserve it - and then meeting him in _real_ life and realizing how awful they really were to a little _kid._

"Shut up," Shuu hissed, his tone venomous. "Haha-ue wouldn't lie. And Hiro-ojii-san was a great man." He stormed off without me after shooting me one last glare, leaving me to sputter in his wake.

I gritted my teeth, glaring in Shuu's direction. I didn't know Michiko was like... _that_. _That_ being the type to hold animosity towards Naruto like so many others. She was such a nice woman I couldn't imagine her holding hostility towards anyone, much less a five-year-old child. I supposed I went too far insulting Shuu's uncle like I did, but I was irritated. Naruto was such a sweet boy, he didn't deserve the treatment he got.

I headed home by myself for the first time since I'd met Kouko and Shuu, distressed and alone.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hey! This is one of the chapters I wrote at camp. As I write this I'm still at camp, but I've been putting as much time as I could into Come Spring too.**

 **I thought I would have a lot more time but being a first violin (it's a violin training intensive camp) in the orchestra and chamber group as well as my solo performance which is tomorrow (as I write this) is keeping me busy. Sorry!**

 **BUT YEAH. Futaba has self-harming chakra, Naruto is innocent at this point, and Futaba and Shuu got into s fight. Oh no...**

 **Thanks for reviews and faves and follows as usual! Your feedback really helps me decide how to write things, so keep it coming!**

 **Alts**

 **FUTUREALTS: Hey guys! I just got back from camp and I'm super pooped. I only got to write two chapters because I was so busy so I'll post this one for now and post the other one later. I need some sleep in an actual bed.**

 **I ALSO have a deviantart called** ** _altssul_** **that has like two pictures. One of them is a group sketch of Futaba, Shuu, and Kouko, so if you're wondering what they roughly look like, there are pictures out there.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. SIX

Shuu still refused to talk to me the next day. The trip to school was quiet and lonely.

After he'd left last night, I'd made it two steps through the door at home before I was attacked and fussed over by Imiki for being late and not telling her why, where, or with whom. She'd taken me to a medic-nin, who healed my burns without asking any questions.

I'd wondered if he'd known Imiki before until Imiki confirmed he was an old teammate. Apparently his name was Waki and he was a stellar medic-nin. I wasn't arguing with that last point. My arms felt good as new...for now. Imiki knew I was prone to bursts of emotion, so even today I wore my bandages in case my arms decided to light up again.

I could use this time to myself, I supposed. I needed to plan how I would pull Kouko and Shuu out of the compound the night of the massacre - if I could. How would I know what night it would occur on? I didn't. I had to guess.

I knew Sasuke was seven or eight when it happened and Itachi had just been made ANBU captain and that Shisui had died shortly before. But that was all I knew - what month did it happen? What day? What week? What time?

I just couldn't know. As I plopped down into my desk, I ground my fist into my tunic under the table. My head rested lightly on the desk, pounding from my despair. Damn it, it was moments like these I needed Shuu. He and his trauma bento boxes.

"Morning, Futaba-chan!" a bright voice chirped, sitting in the seat next to me. I looked over and unsurprisingly met the eyes of Naruto.

My mood instantly lifted at his happy expression. I wondered if this was the first time he'd had someone to say that to that was his age. "Morning, Uzumaki-san."

His arm reached to scratch the back of his neck instantly. "Naruto is fine." He shot me a sheepish grin.

I blinked. "Alright, Naruto." Shit. I forgot the honorific - if I wasn't using a last name, I never remembered to use the honorific. When I started getting along with Shuu, I had the excuse of being three and not being able to enunciate my words, but now...society expected me to be able to talk at age six with proper honourifics. Society could suck it.

Naruto started to smile, but faltered as Misaki walked in. His expression turned somber as the teacher fixed the class with a stern glare. I patted his shoulder briefly in reassurance, causing him to glance over at me, stunned. I didn't look back, staring ahead at the board evenly.

I could tell Misaki didn't like me very much. It could've been the fact I associated with the village's problem child or that I made quite the scene yesterday -

No. Stop thinking about yesterday. Too many emotions.

Instead of reflecting on yesterday, I focused on the exceedingly boring lecture about chakra. What was it? What was it for? It was nothing I hadn't known before thanks to Imiki, and I was sure I would do well on the written bits of the curriculum as a result.

The practical? We'd have to see.

And the taijutsu? No.

I nearly drifted off once or twice or thrice, but I made it until lunch mostly intact. Naruto seemed to stand at the doorway, conflicted, eyes darting from the desk I still sat at to the floor. I gave him a weak smile and gestured to a worksheet that had been handed out during the lesson. He nodded in understanding, but still seemed a bit downcast as he left.

It hurt me to do that. Damn, that kid had too much power over me.

I looked back down at the worksheet and dropped my head back onto the desk. The truth was I didn't want to go out and possibly encounter Shuu. He was still mad, and I still was bitter about the whole thing, and...strong emotions could happen. I couldn't take risks.

That, and I was a coward.

I decided to shift my train of thought, before I got too upset, to the massacre. I couldn't reveal that I had knowledge about the future, but I still had to do something. Sasuke was eight at the time. Hopefully in two years' time I'd be made up with Shuu and would be able to drag him and Kouko away.

The thing about fighting with your best friend was that it felt like the end of the world. Like you would never make up, or that it would never be the same. I mean, I'd insulted his dead uncle and called his mother a liar all in one night. I'd probably be reluctant to forgive myself too.

Lunch brought no visitors, but Sasuke did shoot me a strange look on his way out and on his way back in. I made sure to sit with a bit more life when Naruto entered but blushed when I realized I hadn't done any of the worksheet I had used as an excuse to stay in the classroom all lunch.

Taijutsu practice was a little less like hell. We were taught numerous stretches and exercises to do before any heavy activity. You wouldn't wanna pull a muscle or anything on the mission.

Apparently, there were stretches and exercises that required partners. We were matched up according to height, and at age six I was a taller-than average girl. Therefore, I was not matched with another girl like Sakura, or a friend like Naruto (who was much shorter than me at this point).

No. I was matched up with Sasuke. Apparently we were the same height - under Sasuke's spikes at the back of his head.

Sitting back to back with the boy, arms locked, I felt dread coil in my gut. It was too soon to interact an Uchiha after the fight. Every time I saw a shock of raven hair paired with black eyes, my gut churned with guilt. I kept my eyes downcast as I leaned forward, pulling my partner back.

The teacher continued to drone on about relaxing your lower back muscles and other stuff I couldn't bother to listen to. Seriously, she wasn't teaching a class of young adults - we were just above the toddler stage at this point.

I felt myself being pulled back when I heard a low voice hiss, "What's going on?"

It was Sasuke. I frowned, feeling the beginnings of a headache sprout at the back of my head. "What?"

"You always come over on Wednesdays for supper."

Oh. Yesterday was Wednesday. I most definitely did not go to the Uchiha compound yesterday. I had made it a sort of tradition to spend Wednesday with Shuu and Kouko for dinner, and they would spend Tuesday with Imiki and I.

Sasuke hadn't really made an effort to join in on our games after that one time years ago. Every time I had gone over after that, Itachi had been there, and I tended to avoid Itachi. Sasuke wouldn't spare us more than a brief greeting, usually by Itachi's demand. During breakfasts, Michiko encouraged Sasuke to spend breakfast with us. Those breakfasts were the awkward ones spent in relative silence, punctuated with sharp looks between Shuu and Sasuke. After four o'clock, Sasuke would disappear from their side of the compound entirely.

After a while we'd given up on including Sasuke, leaving him to his small superiority complex and his brother while we fooled around. I suppose he would still see me around the compound, though. It was nearly impossible not to, I was there so often.

"I wasn't feeling well." That was an understatement. I grunted as something cracked in my back. "What's with you, caring all of a sudden?"

"You were weird all yesterday, actually," Sasuke continued, ignoring me. "You ran out of the classroom after interrupting Misaki-sensei. And then you started wearing those bandages."

"Yeah? And?"

"Shuu was upset when he came home yesterday." Damn it, was this kid going to ignore everything I said? "You two got into a fight, right?"

"It's not of your business," I bit out.

"Michiko-obaa-san thought we'd done something to you. She was worried."

"Alright. Okay."

"Are you going to make up with Shuu?"

I didn't reply, feeling my arms grow dangerously warm.

Sasuke seemed put off by my lack of reply. Or maybe he felt my arms' spike in temperature. He let me savour silence for about a minute or so before he spoke up again. "Michiko-obaa-san told me to ask you to make up with Shuu because we're in the same class."

I wasn't sure how much respect I held for Michiko anymore, but I hummed in acknowledgment. I wanted to make up with him. I just wasn't ready.

Was I this bad at friendship in my other life?

The rest of the class went by in silence between my partner and I. At the end of the day, I bade Naruto goodbye, which he cheerfully returned, and received another strange look from Sasuke before leaving.

Kunoichi classes started next week. Maybe I would make more friends there?

I started to trudge home when I spotted Shuu at an intersection. I ducked back behind a tree with agility I didn't know I had, hoping I was out of eyeshot. Once he had passed by without noticing me, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I wasn't ready yet.

* * *

When I got home, I was met with the voices of not just Imiki, but Waki, her same teammate that healed me, too. I frowned. Why was Waki here?

I walked into the living room, announcing my presence. Imiki and Waki were seated on the couch, mid-conversation. Was that a bottle of sake on the coffee table? "What are you doing? What's going on?" I asked a bit sharply.

Imiki's face fell a bit at my tone. "Well, good afternoon to you too, Futaba-chan. How was school?" Waki flashed me a polite smile, which only enraged me further.

I suppressed it before it could ignite. God, I didn't need this today. "Why is he here?"

"Futaba, don't be rude," Imiki snapped. "Waki was just visiting."

It sure looked like more than a casual visit. I scowled. "Sure he is," I said levelly, despite my expression. I don't know why I was ticked off so much. I just was and I wanted Imiki to vent to. But no, she had her own friend to hang out with, something I didn't have.

Stupid Imiki. Stupid Waki. Stupid Sasuke, stupid Shuu.

Without listening to whatever Imiki was saying, I stormed up the stairs to my room and slammed the door behind me. I pounced onto my bed, burying my head into my pillow. I even curled up with a rabbit stuffed animal I had gotten for my fourth birthday from Michiko. I needed all the emotional support at the moment.

I blocked out the muffled conversation Imiki and Waki were probably enjoying and flopped onto my left side. I gazed at a photo that was perched on my nightstand depicting Shuu, Kouko, and I in traditional wear. This was at the summer festival a year ago. The five-year-old me held her cotton candy in front of her proudly, Shuu at her left with a cat mask pulled back to the side of his head and Kouko at her right holding a goldfish in a plastic bag.

I felt tears prick my eyes and a warmth bloom in my cheeks. I clutched the rabbit closer to myself and blinked away the tears.

Imiki came into my room shortly after, shooting the discarded socks on the floor dirty looks before sitting on my bed. "How're you feeling?" she asked gently.

I shook my head against my rabbit in response.

She ran a hand through my light brown hair soothingly. "Bad day at school?"

I whimpered, deciding to come clean with her despite my teenage pride demanding I stop the tears from trailing down my cheeks in front of an adult. "I got into a fight with Shuu."

She paused. "Is that why you came home for dinner yesterday?" She continued combing her fingers through my hair. "What about?"

I sniffled pathetically. Goddamn it. "He doesn't like Uzumaki Naruto because Michiko-san told him he killed his uncle."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" she said in shock. "Is he in your class?"

I nodded. "He's nice, Imiki-nee. Don't hate him too."

Imiki stuttered. "O-of course I don't hate him! I'm just a little surprised." She hummed in thought. "I think for starters, you should make up with Shuu. You don't have to worry about him forgiving you, you've been friends before you could even speak properly." She patted my head reassuringly. "Cheer up, Futaba-chan. Your important people will always be there."

I sniffed, rubbing an arm against my eyes. "Thanks, Imiki-nee." I added, "You can go back to your date with Waki-san now."

She turned red. "It wasn't a date, Futaba-chan. How do you even know what that is!?" She slapped a palm to her forehead. "You're too young, who taught you that word!? And it wasn't a date! I don't like Waki like that or anything!" Was she even talking to me anymore?

I laughed despite myself. My eyes were red and swollen, my hair was mussed, and snot dripped from my nose, but Imiki would still be there for me.

That night, we watched a crappy, poor-film-quality drama and fell asleep on the couch together.

* * *

The next morning, I took a different route to school – one that intercepted Shuu's. I locked onto my target.

I aimed.

And I launched myself at Shuu, nearly barrelling him over as I wrapped my I arms around his neck. It was an awkward hug from the side, and his shoulder dug into my collar uncomfortably due to the height difference.

"F-Futaba?" he coughed.

I didn't let go. "Shuu I'm sorry I insulted your dead uncle and called your mother a liar and please don't hate me forever please - "

"Wait wait wait!" He shoved me off of him, wheezing. My heart sank. "Ugh, air..."

"Shuu, you're my best friend. I don't think I could handle losing you because of some silly fight..." I trailed off, looking at him hopefully.

He stared back, confused and a bit conflicted. After a minute, he looked away, turning red. "Gah, come here, you moron."

I grinned, eagerly tackling him in a hug. That was easier than I had expected. But I was incredibly glad I had my best friend back. Without even realizing it, Shuu had become a crucial part of my life. I hadn't thought of my life beyond its assumed purpose of...changing things. But whenever I was with Shuu, I remembered I was still a person, and I still had friends that cared about me and not what I was for.

I didn't ease up on my hold on Shuu, despite his protests and attempts to pry me off of him. He ended up having to awkwardly stumble down the road with a small child attached to his front. I ended up walking backwards, but I couldn't care less at that moment.

"Hello, Futaba-chan," a familiar voice chirped from my side. "It appears you've made up with Shuu."

I turned my head. "Kouko-chan! What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "I'm off to meet my team for another mission this morning, but I have some time." She gave my and Shuu's position a once-over, then bent over so she could talk into my ear as we walked. "You know, Shuu stopped being mad at you the next morning. He was mopey all day. I bet he was worried you were mad at him."

Shuu turned beet-red. "Shut up, Onee-san!"

Kouko and I giggled at his reaction before Kouko wished us goodbye and Shuu finally managed to pry me off of him.

I still stuck by his side the entire way to school, though.

* * *

I slipped into my seat next to Naruto who brightened immediately. I was in a pretty good mood too. "Morning, Naruto."

He grinned, but his grin fell as a certain Uchiha passed by our desk. Sasuke glanced at both of us in turn, gaze lingering on me. I have a feeling he would ask me about Shuu again in taijutsu practice again.

"That guy," Naruto said quietly. "He always acts so aloof. Who does he think he is?"

"An Uchiha," I said blandly. "They're a big deal clan. That makes him feel like a big deal too." I paused, contemplating what it was that compelled Sasuke to make sure I made up with Shuu. Was it concern for his cousin? I then remembered the time he played games with us at the compound like any other kid would have. At the moment, he was not the ass he was after the massacre. "But he's not a bad guy," I said finally.

Naruto hummed, following Sasuke with his eyes.

I hummed as well, twirling my pencil in my fingers. "Do you want to get some ramen later? Friday special," I asked.

Naruto, as predicted, shot his fist into the air. "Yeah! Ramen!"

* * *

Today in taijutsu, we were assisting our partners with push-ups and sit-ups. Sit-ups were killing me, something Sasuke seemed to find great amusement in.

"Did you make up with Shuu?" he asked quietly.

I could only grunt in pain, but smiled weakly.

Sasuke didn't reply, but appeared somewhat satisfied.

I got up from my sit-up position and held down Sasuke's feet as he began to lie down. "Hey," I said between pants. "Naruto and I are going for ramen at Ichiraku's later and you should come."

He shot me a look as he began his round of sit-ups. "Um - "

"You should definitely come," I interrupted. "I'll even pay."

Sasuke seemed doubtful, his brow crinkling, but finally forced out a reply. "Maybe..."

I grinned. "Great. It'll be good. Promise."

The boy said nothing for the rest of the class, and neither did I.

I darted over to Shuu after school ended that day. "I can't go home with you today," I said quickly. "I'm getting ramen with Naruto and Sasuke."

Shuu's face crumbled into a frown. "Sasuke?"

I rolled my eyes. "He isn't that bad. Don't give me that look."

"He's only six and he's already got girls fawning over him! You know that?" Shuu cried. "Some of my cousins are already after him!" He threw his arms up in the air, walking away from me.

"Good night to you too!" I called after him.

It wasn't hard to find Naruto or Sasuke – they were both hanging around the doors to the classroom. I approached them with a cheery smile. "Alright, let's go!" I said, gesturing in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.

"Wait a second," Naruto cut in. "Why's he coming?" He turned to Sasuke, getting in the other boy's personal space quite unabashedly. "And who is he, anyway?"

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he said, frowning back. "Didn't you listen during class introductions yesterday?"

Naruto glared. "Of course I did!"

"Alright, alright," I cut in. "You guys can argue later. I'm hungry right now, so save it." I tugged them forward myself, one hand pulling each.

Well, I had thought bringing them to Ichiraku Ramen would lay down the cement for a possible friendship, but all that had come out of it was awkward silence.

Luckily, I had a backup plan. I gulped, reaching into my pocket. A deck of cards sat in their little box, just waiting to be used. We sat at the table instead of the counter, to my convenience. I slapped the deck of cards down onto the table. "Who wants to play some Asagiri Speed?" I said, breaking into a challenging grin.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with recognition. Apparently he either remembered playing this with me as a four-year-old somehow or he remembered seeing Shuu and I play it every other time I was at the compound. Which was often.

Naruto, on the other hand, was clueless. "Eh? What's that?"

I gave him a quick explanation of the game, demonstrating the layout with the cards. At the end of it all, Naruto still scratched his head in slight confusion, but quickly said he understood enough to play the game.

Ichiraku himself watched us children in amusement as we called out our numbers loudly and quickly. Of course it was Sasuke to steal every match and Naruto and I banging our heads against the table, but it was fun to me. I was sure it was fun to Naruto too – from what I could remember, Naruto had never been invited to play ninja with the other kids. Or anything, really.

Sasuke was good, but I was always pretty close. One day, I'd beat him at my own game. But that day was not today.

As Sasuke slapped down the last card in his hand triumphantly, I slouched in my seat, staring up at the night sky, dotted with stars. "I should get going. I think I've got enough to handle the bill." God, what was with me and making everything on the house? This was turning into an unhealthy habit.

Naruto's face fell. "Aw, alright." He pointed a defiant finger at Sasuke, standing up. "But I'll totally beat you next time, 'ttebayo!"

There it was. The famous verbal tick. I collected my cards with an amused raise of the brow. Naruto had gotten pretty good at the game, but he was leagues behind Sasuke. Said boy shot a challenging smirk back at Naruto.

Had I set the cement for an earlier rivalry between the two instead? Whoops.

"Good night, Sasuke-san, Naruto," I said, slapping some ryo onto the counter with mild despair. Imiki would kill me when I got home. I heard their murmured replies before we departed.

* * *

That night, I had another dream. But it wasn't a dream of things I couldn't understand. No, this was a very familiar face of a dark-haired, dark-eyed teenager staring back at me.

Because it was my own.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I crashed after camp, I'll admit it. I needed like a day of downtime, hence the delayed update.**

 **So Futaba is aiming to make the seeds of friendship grow between Naruto and Sasuke and she's made up with Shuu!**

 **Also, Waki and Imiki? What's up with that, huh?**

 **I'll be editing the first few chapters to make the kids seem more like kids, so stuff in the early chapters is subject to change. If there are any continuity errors, please let me know!**

 **Anyways, thanks for the continued support as always! I appreciate every review, fave, and follow I get! If you have any suggestions on how I could improve on this, feel free to leave a comment in a review!**

 **Alts**


	7. SEVEN

I was starting to think these dreams were becoming a problem. Every couple nights lately I'd been having dreams I couldn't understand. Even as I approached my second week in the academy, the dreams remained, persistently showing me the same damn things over and over.

The wheel.

My face.

And most recently, the faces of my old friends. The ones I felt like a dick for forgetting.

How were they? Seeing them made me think of them again. Had the twins been keeping up the good work in basketball? Had they forgotten me?

Had I actually died in my sleep somehow?

Thinking hadn't done anything but put me in a bad mood, so with a brisk good-bye to Imiki I left the house.

Hours later, I found myself sitting at my favourite soba stand with Naruto. I had wanted to invite him out that weekend, but I didn't exactly know where his apartment was.

Thankfully, I hadn't needed to.

I had been passing by a snack shop when I saw a familiar head of highlighter stumble out of the doors of the shop, tripping and falling into a heap at the doorway. I had frowned as passerby started to stop and stare at the scene. A man in an apron had just stormed out of the shop, making sure to hold a broom in front of him almost defensively.

"No monster is going to shop from my store!" he'd yelled. His form quivered just a bit. I felt a surge of anger. Why weren't these people doing anything?

Naruto looked up at the man fearfully as a bag of chips he held in one hand was ripped from him. In his other hand he held his frog change purse – he was about to pay for those.

"Scram, you beast!" the man barked. He then stormed back into his store.

I heard the murmurs around me commending the man for his actions, condemning Naruto for his. "What a monster," they whispered. "Why can't the Hokage just get rid of him for good? He's a danger to this village."

Naruto didn't move, his eyes darting over the crowd with a sort of panic and sorrow that no five-year-old should ever have. Then, he cast his eyes downward in shame. I noticed a fresh bruise on his arm, maybe from when the shop owner had handled him when he threw him out.

These people were monsters, not Naruto.

I pushed between two women whispering to each other about the spectacle. I rushed to Naruto, helping him up. "Are you okay?" I asked urgently. "That man shouldn't treat anyone like that. I'll tell my aunt about this." And I would. I knew Imiki held no ill will towards Naruto, so she would see as well as I could that this man's actions were awful and shouldn't go unpunished.

He looked up at me, and at that moment I discovered the eyes were, in fact, the windows to the soul. His blue eyes were so hopeful, so confused, and so lost at that moment that I couldn't help but wrap him in a quick hug. When I broke away, he tried to say something, but stopped. Then, he put on a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah! Don't worry. I'm fine."

I gave him a doubtful look. "Sure...well, let's get out of here. Let's go get some soba." I led him away from the crowd, which was already beginning to disperse. I could feel the stares following us, and I resisted the urge to glare at them all as I stormed away with Naruto in tow.

And that brought us to now.

I watched as Naruto eyed his soba thoughtfully. I chewed the sticky rice cake and swallowed. "Are you sure you're alright? That guy was a jerk."

Naruto blinked out of whatever trance he had been in. He put on that false grin again. "Yeah! You don't have to worry. I'm used to it." He rested his head on his hand. "Well, that guy in particular's never liked me. Most shopkeepers don't."

I frowned. "That just makes me more worried, you know." I slurped some more noodles. I decided to take a risk. "Why do people call you a monster?"

Naruto's face fell briefly. He quickly regained his composure, though. "I don't know. But I know it's a load of bull!" He spoke with a fire I was used to seeing in the anime. There he was. "It's...it's not a big deal, okay?" I knew he was only saying it to make me feel better, but...

My expression softened. "Alright," I said reluctantly. "But if you get hurt by them again," I grabbed his wrist, the bruise I had noticed right below where I had grabbed, "just visit my aunt and I."

"Nah, I heal quickly. It's alright." He rubbed the back of his head again.

I hummed. "Come to think of it," I started. "Do you live by yourself? I never see anyone pick you up from the academy." Not that many did. It was mostly civilian parents that would pick their kids up, but some clan kids still had the luxury of walking home with a parent. Imiki trusted me with Shuu, so she'd never really visited at the academy.

"Yeah." He poked at the soba noodles with his chopsticks.

"Hmm." Then I smiled at him. "Can I visit sometime? It must get lonely all by yourself all the time." I added quickly, " You can visit my aunt and I too. We live near here, actually."

Naruto seemed to be in shock. Gosh, this kid's shock at another kid wanting to visit him was breaking my heart. "Yeah! But, uh, it's a little messy."

I made a sign of dismissal with my hand, my mouth still full of zoni. I looked up at the sky, swallowing. Judging by the shadows, it was long past noon, the pinkness leaking into the sky further supporting this. "I should probably get going. Imiki-nee will be expecting me." I stood up, fishing around in my bag strapped to my waist for something. I grabbed it, pulling it out. I handed a roll of fresh bandages to him. Imiki had requested I keep them on me at all times just in case I had another...incident. "Take these, just in case something like this happens again."

Naruto took them wordlessly, sending me an appreciative grin. It may have been just me, but his eyes seemed to shine a bit as he looked down at the bandages.

I waved as I left. I sure was going great lengths for a kid that I was supposed to be planning my interactions with. I had told myself I wouldn't improvise, but...well, how could you not reach out to a kid like Naruto? Damn, that kid had too much power...

When I got home, I opened the door -

And immediately closed it.

I did _not need to see that oh my virgin eyes -_

Okay, it was just a kiss I saw.

But it was between Waki and Imiki!

I _knew_ they were more than just teammates!

Once I composed myself, I opened the door again. Imiki and Waki stared back at me, red-faced. I was pretty sure I was red-faced too. Welp.

"Good evening, Waki-san," I said stiffly.

"Good evening, Futaba-chan. I really should be going," Waki replied. "See you soon, Imiki."

"See you," Imiki said, smiling faintly. Waki disappeared fairly quickly. Damn shinobi speed.

I scowled at her as she closed the door. "What were you doing?" I demanded. I felt an odd sensation that our roles that been reversed, but ignored it. Imiki had introduced this guy to me literally a couple days ago – and then suddenly they were kissing.

Imiki stared down at me sternly. "It's none of your business. You have to learn to mind your own, Futaba." She slipped away into the kitchen, preventing me from questioning her further.

"I'm not hungry," I called after her. "I had soba with Naruto."

I saw her back stiffen. "That's fine, then. One more serving for me."

I scowled at her back, turning to walk up the stairs. I could use some time to think of what to do now.

I picked up my bo, setting it on my bed. It was a glorified wooden pole that had gained a few scratches and dents along the years, but it still held strong. This was a gift from Dad – the second one – so I made sure to keep it in fairly good condition lest Imiki snap at me. Imiki was no bojutsu specialist, but she could at least teach me the basics, like the standard katas. However, beyond that, she couldn't teach me much, so my training had been put on pause.

Picking up the wooden pole again, I slid my feet into standard starting position, my bo inclined towards the ceiling. I felt my body clumsily slide through all eight katas I had been taught. I gritted my teeth in frustration, struggling to keep my movements fluid like Imiki had instructed. I lunged forward, jabbing the bo forward as well.

Unfortunately, I tripped over a fold in the carpet – damn carpets. You could never go wrong with hardwood – and smashed the bo into a framed painting on my wall. It exploded into glass dust in a cacophony of sound.

"Whoops," I breathed, bracing myself for the next imminent explosion as the footsteps drew nearer. Apparently, my mom had painted it when she was younger. It was a picture of a city, an urbanized landscape – Amegakure. Imiki hadn't told me, but I could just tell. It was a hauntingly familiar scene considering where I was in the series (before I died-not-really). I often found Imiki staring at it wistfully whenever she was in my room.

Imiki didn't say a whole lot about it, but I could tell she really, really missed my mom.

"Futaba!" Imiki exclaimed, barging into my room. "What was that!?"

I quickly withdrew my bo, throwing it aside. "I just hit the painting. I'm not hurt or anything," I explained.

Imiki quickly inspected my hands, then pulled me by the shoulders away from the pile of broken glass. "Futaba, your mother painted this," she said, looking at the painting solemnly. I could see upon looking closer that my bo had scratched a bit of the dried oil off of the canvas. It was only there for texture, but I guessed Imiki would probably take it a lot more seriously because of Mom's sacred memory and all that.

I found myself less and less capable of feeling genuine sadness towards my parents as the years went by. It could just be my mind shutting it out as a coping mechanism, but I hadn't even bothered to read the letter they'd left me after the funeral. I couldn't read it without Imiki knowing and I felt bad she hadn't gotten anything but her sister's kid from her death. I mean, Imiki really loved my mom. You'd think you'd at least get a letter too if your closest friend had the time to write to their kid, right? Especially since, from what I'd heard, it was labelled as a mission with a high risk of death or fatal injury in the first place. Or maybe I was thinking too much.

"Futaba," she sighed. "Go downstairs. Dinner's ready and Waki will be over shortly." Imiki didn't move from her spot staring at the painting. I couldn't see her face.

I left the room wordlessly. Imiki was important to me – she'd grown on me and she was a great person. But whenever she got like this, the best choice was to leave her alone. It was a bit unsettling.

As soon as I took a seat on a cushion in front of the table, I heard a knock at the door. Rather than getting up to answer it myself, I called, "It's open." I knew it would be Waki anyway.

Sure enough, Waki strolled in with an unreadable expression, greeting me politely before heading upstairs. I narrowed my eyes. Was he going to go into my room?

Waki was a nice guy, but the air of secrecy between him and Imiki set me on edge a little. Sure, Imiki would tell me stories about how he healed her burns when they were on a genin team together. But I couldn't shake off the feeling of anticipation.

Dinner was quiet and awkward, Imiki and Waki shooting glances at each other as if a form of communication. I sat across from them, lifting my eyes very occasionally from my plate. When I was done I silently stood and washed it off, heading back to my room.

When I got there, the glass was gone, but so was the painting. I sighed, deciding not to think into it too much, and pulled the dresser drawer out. Setting it down as quietly as I could, my eyes landed on the white hitae-ate I had put back there so many years ago. Beside it was the letter my parents in this life had written to me as last words. I picked it up, contemplating it, but setting it back down a few seconds later. Best leave that bundle emotions alone for now.

Instead, I picked up the hitae-ate, staring at my reflection in the polished metal. Dark eyes and a face round with baby fat stared back, said dark eyes too…knowing to be normal. I sighed, arranging things so the head band was back in its hiding spot with the letter.

I lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Lately, Imiki and Waki had been spending a lot of time together. And that would've been fine, but they had been keeping many secrets. As shinobi, that shouldn't have surprised me, but Imiki had become more reclusive since this Waki guy came into the picture. I could only hope it was a brief phase.

Drowsiness started to cloud my vision, which was strange considering I was a night person. Dimly, I could hear hushed chatter downstairs, but I found myself unable to stay awake. It was only seven. What was wrong with me?

Unable to stay awake long enough to even climb into bed, unconsciousness overcame me.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry for the absence! Stuff's been crazy because…you know, school's starting up and shit's getting REAL because I'm entering the double digit grades. Wow!**

 **I promise it'll start to pick up after a couple more chapters – something big is going to happen soon. Well, maybe not something BIG, but something Futaba will find important.**

 **And I can't BELIEVE the support this story's been getting! It's unreal to me that anyone bothered to read this, so thanks to everyone and I'll try to update quicker next time!**

 **FUN FACT: Almost all of Come Spring is written and uploaded from my phone! That means that yes, I go through the agony of trying to upload via iPhone every time. But it's easier for me to write on a phone (on a narrower screen). It could be psychological. Oh well.**

 **Alts**


	8. OMAKE ONE

Uchiha Shuu, son of disappointment Uchiha Michiko and retired genin Uchiha Taro, was used to people talking down to him. Since the moment of his sister's birth, their side of the family had been branded as disappointments. First of all, The fact remained that she was still the sister of a powerful female figure in the clan, and an elder one at that, but she could in no way match up to Mikoto.

Kouko had worked hard at her studies and hard at her training in an attempt to break free of this label, but all of her efforts were squashed by those of her blessed prodigy cousin, Itachi. Everything he did left her spinning in the dust. The clan loved him but forgot her name.

Nevertheless, she persevered, continuing to work as hard as ever. This effort made Shuu truly respect and look up to his sister. In his eyes, she was a prodigy. And not an emotionally-detached one, at that.

Shuu received treatment no different. He was largely ignored in the halls, save for Mikoto, who, as their aunt, showed all the auntie affection that was expected of her. Fugaku didn't even so much as breathe in his direction, though. Shuu didn't like him very much.

The day he met his younger cousin was the day he made a new enemy.

The little brat of a three-year-old had peeked out behind his almighty older brother to babble some insult about Kouko. He'd compared his oh-so-great brother to his hardworking sister. He'd said she'd never be as good as goddamned Itachi. Speaking as if it were their fault they hadn't been born in such a blessed family.

Shuu may have spat something back, or maybe he had literally spat, but the next thing he remembered was storming towards the swing set only to nearly barrel into a girl already on the swing.

Asagiri Futaba was, in all respects, an ordinary girl around the same age as his bratty cousin. She held no special qualities and nothing was significant about her existence.

That's what he thought, at least.

But as time went on and Shuu spent more time with the girl and her aunt during training he couldn't say no to (he needed all the help he could get to surpass his cousins), he realized he liked being seen not as Uchiha disappointment Shuu, but as Just Shuu.

Futaba never saw him as the disappointment. Maybe her young mind couldn't register the bitterness he spoke of his clan with, or maybe she couldn't understand the concept of resent yet. All she did was speak to him like...like he was a normal kid. Like his name didn't even matter. She would shamelessly gush over rabbits and playfully punch him when teased. She'd ask him what his favourite colour was and what weapons he thought were cool. It was refreshing and strange and Shuu didn't know how to deal with it at first.

But even though it felt a bit like babysitting on his part sometimes, his time with Futaba was always enjoyable.

On nights Kouko and Shuu were free, Imiki would invite them over to their small house for the night. They would spend time telling stories and playing games and watching crappy movies, then would pass out with stomachs full of oily popcorn.

Shuu loved those nights, too.

Nights at the compound were always cold, quiet, and lonely. He couldn't risk making too much noise lest he get in trouble and soil his lineage even more, leaving him with little to do. His favourite pastime was staring up at the ceiling, because what else was there to do?

Nights with Imiki and Futaba, on the other hand, were warm and fun. He'd laugh himself to tears and fall asleep, exhausted. His sister was always there, smiles more genuine and expressions more...real. Without realizing it, she must've drawn into herself too in an attempt to satisfy the clan.

But one night, it was different.

Shuu held Futaba as she cried and cried, eventually whimpering herself to sleep. The whole time he'd sent helpless glances at his sister who gave him the same look as she patted the little girl's back. Imiki sat in front of them, stroking Futaba's hair in a comforting gesture. Shuu did not fail to notice how glassy the other woman's eyes were, though.

It was terrifying, seeing two happy people crying in such sorrow. Like seeing rain clouds in the summer. Or having the birds stop singing forever. That kind of helplessness and panic.

Once Futaba fell asleep, Imiki wiped her own silent tears and scooped up the girl from Shuu. She quietly urged them to head home. "We'll do this another time," she'd said.

Shuu and Kouko headed home wordlessly that night.

Futaba had changed after that. Her eyes were no longer bright all the time. Whenever he caught her alone (usually before he pounced on her for cheap laughs), her eyes were solemn and gleamed with a certain sadness. When caught, she'd hastily cover it up and resume being pre-incident Futaba.

It didn't fool him, but Shuu never told her.

When Futaba first came to the compound to stay a few nights, Shuu was both delighted and horrified. On one hand, she being here meant she wouldn't let him die of prolonged solitude. On the other, she'd see how the clan felt about him first-hand. Futaba wasn't stupid, she was fairly intelligent for her age. She'd catch on to the brief glares of passing aunts and uncles and such. She'd know.

She'd realize he was a disappointment.

It's not like she wouldn't find out, his mind whispered. All good things must come to an end and all of that.

But she didn't change. She continued to smile at him as if the world didn't matter. Her games and goofy grins didn't change, her eyes didn't change. Shuu was still Shuu in her mind.

He decided he'd do a lot to keep her smiling like that.

It was a fantastic day until Sasuke came along and just felt the need to shove his nose into their business.

Shuu desperately had wanted the little brat to _get lost_. His friend seemed to have other ideas, though, inviting his cousin to play with them.

Shuu had sent a protesting look at Futaba, who had reasserted her power in the friendship by sending him a look back. With a sigh, he steeled his will and decided to put up with it. Only for a little bit.

Through the entire game, Shuu's thoughts dripped with venom. Sasuke had everything. Couldn't he let Shuu have this one thing and leave him alone?

Everyone liked Sasuke. He was the genius and people practically fell over themselves trying to please him and his brother. He didn't need another admirer in the form of Futaba.

Futaba was _his_ friend. Couldn't he have this one thing? He knew almost everything about her. He knew more than _Sasuke_ ever would. He knew her favourite food was zoni. He knew her least favourite food was anything with mushrooms. He knew she was absolutely terrified of horses. He knew she muttered in her sleep. He even knew Futaba was afraid of bright flashing lights and closed one eye when confronted with one.

Futaba was _his_ friend.

Since the day he saw her crying and saw the sun turn into rain, he'd sworn to never let it happen again. How could he know others would make sure of the same? They'd _hurt her._

He never thought he'd be the one to cause her pain next, though. One thing led to another and ticked off by being talked down to be an annoying Hyuuga brat in his class, Shuu had taken out his frustration on the blonde kid his mother and most of the village seemed to condemn. If so many people hated him, doing the same would make Shuu more accepted, right?

Except the one person that mattered did not hate the blonde kid. She went against the village's opinion, defending the shortie with a wild fury Shuu'd never seen in her before and frankly wanted to curl up in a corner as a result. He walked alongside her moodily, watching her converse with this Uzumaki kid.

Until the two other kids had wished each other goodbye, Shuu thought he'd held it together pretty well. But obviously he hadn't as Futaba pestered him about his behaviour immediately after.

He didn't even _know_ Uncle Hiro before he'd died. He didn't even care, even if his mother did. But it was a reason to hate Uzumaki Naruto like the rest of the village did, so he would eagerly take it. But then Futaba started questioning him and his motives, which in turn made him question his mom and the village's motives - why did they hate a little kid? What could he have done in his pathetically short life to piss an entire village off? - and in short, he felt quite pissed himself at Futaba for making him question the very thing he had strived for his entire life - acceptance.

Why was this so complicated?

He left her, miserable, rage lining each step he took.

The next day, Shuu woke up late and got to school late. He tried his best to be attentive in class (he had to beat that Hyuuga Neji jerk) but it went against everything in his nature to stay awake during their teacher's lectures, and his eyes were tired from the fitful sleep he'd barely gotten last night. At lunch, there was a noticeable lack of Futaba in his proximity today, something his croonies didn't dare to comment on. They only followed him for the illusion of being stronger and superior that came with being with an Uchiha. Thinking of Futaba only left a bitter taste in his mouth at this point. He headed home with Yakeno, a boy who laughed at everything he said regardless of whether it was funny or not and snickered as he pelted birds with rocks.

As soon as he got home, though, he immediately found Kouko and flopped into her arms.

"She hates me," he wailed, dread finally washing over him in a wave. "She'll never talk to me again." Kouko patted his back pityingly, slight amusement dancing in her eyes.

"What did you do now?" she asked evenly.

"I got mad at her for being around that Uzumaki Naruto kid," he muttered. He lay across his sister's lap on his stomach, emotions churning with regret. "She wants to be his _friend_."

Kouko frowned. "You can't control what your friends want, Shuu. If Futaba-chan wants to be nice to someone, she can. If she wants another friend, she can make one." She lightly swatted the back of his head. "You've been friends since before she could even speak. There's little chance she'll stay mad for long."

"But...but..." He sniffed. "This argument felt really bad. Onee-san, I messed up."

Kouko sighed, continuing to comfort her brother. He was such a softie for Futaba. Sometimes, she wished he had other friends. She didn't want her brother to be so reliant on one person. She couldn't deny Asagiri Futaba had changed her brother for the better, though. And she was a sweet girl.

The next morning, Shuu was ambushed. He never thought his first ambush would be by an ally or that it would happen when he was seven. But it did, and Shuu was left sputtering as Futaba hung off of him begging for forgiveness.

At first he was stunned. Futaba had a mountain-sized pride. Apologizing to Shuu always seemed to physically pain her when it came to petty arguments - she always had to have the last word. This time, though, there was no sign of embarrassment in her words or stance. Futaba was earnestly apologizing to him...when Shuu should have been the one to apologize. He'd put his fear of never being accepted before his first and best friend. Thinking about it made him groan at himself, and he opened his arms grudgingly.

"Gah, come here, you moron," he grunted. The air was knocked out of him as his small friend tackled him, but he held on until the need to walk became apparent. Try as he may, he couldn't get her off. When she did eventually release him, a smile lit up her face like it was the sun once again.

Uchiha Shuu knew he would do almost anything to keep it that way.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Well, it's an update! It's only an omake but I wanted to expand on Shuu's character. If it isn't shown here, he's a naturally clingy kid with abandonment issues. He's been in the shadow of his cousins since birth, I mean. Constantly being compared to others wears you down, I guess. Futaba was the first one that saw past his label, and without that, Shuu probably would have grown up a very bitter person.**

 **Not to say that side of him doesn't show at all - it's just less present. He** ** _is_** **a goof under all that insecurity. Only his sister and Futaba can bring that out, though.**

 **Thanks for the support! You're all great!**

 **Alts**


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